Fuse setter



1947' "H. F. VICKERS 2,416,244

FUSE SETTER Filed Sept. 2'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 18, 1947. F,VICKERS FUSE SETTER Filed Sept. 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 the time fuse.

UlT-E D STATES FUSE SETTER Harry F. Vickers, Washington,

D. 0., assignor,-by

mesne assignments, to Vickers, Incorporated,

Detroit, Mich., a corpor ation of Michigan Application September 27,1935, Serial No. 42,365

Claims. (01. 89-1) 1 This inventionrelates to fuse setters, and has todo particularly with an ammunition unit of the type having a cartridgecase including a main powder chamber and a projectile of the time fusetype mounted in the end of the cartridge case.

Heretofore in the handling of time fuse projectiles, it has been thepractice to set the time fuses of the projectiles by hand so that suchhand setting corresponds to a dial setting which indicates the desiredsetting to be obtained on This dial, which is usually positioned at apoint which. can be observed by the operator of the time fuses, has beenheretofore maintained in the desired position by means of an indicatingelectrically controlled system, the source of the control of such systemusually originating in a remote fire control station or range keeper.Usually the hand operated fuse setting mechanism is maintained. adjacentthe gun whereby to reduce the elapsed time between setting the fuse,loading and firing to a minimum. It will be obvious that four or fiveseconds may easily elapse between the setting of the fuse and the actualfiring, and in case the target should be a diving aeroplane, forinstance, such elapse in time would be a very serious one. It will alsobe seen that if the gun should be loaded and not fired immediately, therelationship be- 1 It is the object of the present invention toeliminate any error in the hand setting of the fuse to the signal ordial by interposing a power follow up system between the remote controlstation and the fuse setting means on the projectile whereby tocontinuously maintain the setting of the fuse to correspond with thedial or signal. setting, without manual assistance.

In many instances the ammunition shell .or unit is conveyed from a placeof storage to a point adjacent the gun, and another object of thepresent invention is to provide means for continuously maintaining thesetting of the fuse to correspond with the director signal while the,shell is in the ammunition hoist; thus the fuse setting means on eachprojectile as it is being hoisted is correctly regulated whereby to savetime in loading and eliminate the loss of time in moving the ammunitioninto the fuse setter. This continuous maintenance of the proper settingpermits loading of the gun directly out of the hoist; and in most caseswill eliminate the use of any fuse setting mechanism other than thehoist, reduce the hazards of handling, and

materially reduce the number of men exposed to the dangers which existaround an operating gun.

A further and very important object of the present invention is theprovision of a novel cartridge and projectile in combination with fusesetting means and fuse setting control means whereby to continuouslymove or maintain the setting of the fuse of the projectile while theshell is in loaded position in the gun; by this method of continuousconnection between the remote control station and the projectile, itwill be seen that the fuse of the loaded projectile will be setautomatically in accordance with the correct position as determined atthe fire control station; the correct position of the fuse on the loadedprojectile being thus maintained, at all times, up to the instant offire. In this case the fuse is always set for the proper timing so thatany movement of the target or any delay between loading and firing hasno deleterious effect.

Other features of the invention have to do with details of arrangementand construction as will be more clearly set forth in the specificationand claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view, largely diagrammatic, of one method of automaticallymaintaining the fuse setting of a shell preparatory to loading.

Fig. -2 is a diagrammatic elevation of a typical hoist unit such as usedfor hoisting shells from one elevation to a position adjacent the gun.

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of a method of connecting the fire controlstation with a hoisting unit whereby to maintain the'correct setting ofthe fuse during hoisting.

Fig. 4 i a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. dis a diagrammatic illustration of my preferred manner ofcontrolling the fuse setting of the projectile, after loading, and upuntil the time of firing.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of an ammunition shell illustratingparticularly the manher of connecting and controlling the fuse settingmeans of the projectile with a point outside the cartridge case.

Figs. 7 and 8 are sectionalviews taken .on lines Tl and 88,respectively, of Fig. 6. The present invention resolves itself aroundtwo units which have been used as standard 3 designated as 2, and thecartridge case thereof as at 3, the projectile as at M and fuse settingmember as at 5: the other unit or equipment is what is known as a rangekeeper or fire control station, and is generally designated 3; suchrange keeper or fire control station being located at some point remotefrom the gun and manned by a skilled operator at that point; such firecontrol station being designed to transmit a director signal to a pointadjacent the gun.

The present invention adapts itself to different types of equipmentavailable on board a battleship or other unit utilizing a directorsignal and time fuse projectiles. and in Fig. l I have illustrated oneembodiment wherein the shells 2 are shown in position in a standard typeof fuse setting box generally indicated as at i, such box usually havinga. shaft diagrammatically indicated as at 8 for moving the time settingmembers 5 to various positions corresponding to the director signal sentby the remote station 6. Instead of connecting wires 9 leading from thestation 6 to some form of visual indicating means, I preferably connectthe same into, and to control the operation of, an electrical Selsynunit it. This Selsyn unit is well known to those skilled in the art andis such an electrical unit as to accurately transmit movement emanatingfrom the remote control station 3; in other words, any movementtransmitted from the station 6 will be immediately and accuratelytransposed in a shaft II of such Selsyn iii. The movement of such shaftmay be transmitted through any motion transmitting means I 2 to a shaftI3. The conmotion between the shaft l3 and the shaft 3 of thefusesetting box is by means of a follow up unit generally designated itand a motor i5, such follow up device being preferably of the balancedrotary type illustrated and described in my Patent Number 2,030,902 ofFebruary 18, 1936, and the motor It being any type of hydraulic motorsuch as a gear motor illustrated and described in said same patent. Itwill also be understood that such follow up motor unit also includes apump l6 and supply tank H.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and aero c;

4, I have illustrated the adaptation of my control method to thestandard type of ammunition hoist.

- As best shown in Fig. 2, a standard ammunition grammatically indicatedat l9, the translating.

movement being through the medium of a lever 20 connected to anoscillatable guide member 2| and pivoted at a point 22. A conveyor chain23 of the hoist is provided with spaced steps 24 for receiving andpositioning the shells 2. Spaced a predetermined distance from each step22 are adjusting means 25 adapted to continuously control the positionof the fuse setting means 5 of each shell loaded on the step 24 andbeing hoisted. The member 25 is connected by means of a lever 26 andlinkage 21 with a control link 28 adapted to fit in the oscillatableguide member 2|. The guide member 2| is preferably positioned adjacentthe upper end of the hoist so that as the member 28, moving upwardlywith the hoist, contacts with the guide 2|, it will be seen that theposition of the lever 21, and hence the fuse setting means 5, will bemaintained or oscillated back and forth in accordance with the settingof the remote control station 6. Inasmuch as the delivery position l8 ofthe hoist is preferably adjacent the breech of the gun, it will be seenthat the time setting of the projectile will be maintained in itscorrect position, according to the director signal, up until the momentof loading of the gun.

Regardless of the method of loading of the gun or of the manner ofkeeping the fuse setting means in proper position. I have provided afurther method of continuously setting the time fuse after the loadingof the gun. The manner of continuously setting the fuse as illustratedin Fig. 1 or in Figs. 2 to 4 may be of assistance in helping thehandling of the shells to load the same in proper position relative tothe breech of the gun, but the ammunition unit and the control systemillustrated in Figs. 5 to 8 will control the correct positioning of thefuse setter irrespective of loading.

In Fig 6 I have illustrated the preferred form of ammunition shell whichmay be used in connection with the control system illustrated in Fig. 5.This shell 2 includes the usual cartridge case 3, the projectile 4 and afuse setting means 5, as will be well understood by those skilled in theart. The improved control means consists of a shaft 29 connected to thefuse setter 5 and extending rearwardly through the projectile 4 intokeyed relationship with a hollow shaft 30, which shaft 30 is providedwith a plurality of small apertures 3| and which shaft extends throughthe rear end of the cartridge case 3. The rear portion of the shaft 33is connected to a keyed member 32, which member 32 is hollow so as toreceive a primer or firing cap 33, the ignition of the cap 33 causingthe expanded gases to pass through the apertures 3i and ignite thepowder in the main powder chamber 33.

The breech block of the gun is diagrammatically illustrated as at 35 andthis breech block is provided with a gear member 33 having a portionadapted to slide around and fit into the keyway of the member 32'whereby rotation of the gear 3.6 will result in rotation of the shafts3|] and 29. and hence will cause movement of the fuse setting means 5. Afiring pin 31, which is present in the usual breech block, passesthrough the hollow center of the gear 33 so as to contact with the cap33 to fire the same.

. As best shown in Fig. 5, the rotation of the fuse setting mechanism 5through the gear 36 is by means of diagrammatically illustratedhydraulic circuit wherein 38 is the pump. 39 the motor and 40 the followup valve, one part of which is operatively connected to the Selsyn unitIf]. It will be seen that by this arrangement the shell may be loadedinto the gun, the breech block moved to firing position and the fusesetting means 5 maintained in the proper position relative to the remotesignal station 6 until the time of firing.

What I claim is:

l. A fuse setting system for time fuse projectiles, comprising a remotefire control station or range keeper, means forming a part of the breechblock of the gun and connected with the projectile for adjusting theposition of the time fuse after the projectile is loaded into the gun. ahydraulic pump, a motor for actuating said means, a follow-up valveconnecting said pump and motor and means connecting said range keeperwith said follow-up valve for continuously and positively setting thefuse in accordance with the conditions present at said range keeper.

v streets 2. A fuse setting sysem for time fuse projeotiles comprising aremote fire control station orrange keeper, hoist means for receivingand.

moving projectiles towards a, delivery station, means adapted to engagea part of a projectile while positioned in said hoist for adjusting thetimefuse setting thereof, power means for controlling said last namedmeans whereby to set the time fuse while the projectile is positioned insaid hdist and follow-up means operatively con-' nected to said powermeans. and through motion transmitting means to said range keeper forcontinuously maintaining the position of said time fuse corresponding.to conditions at said range keeper, as long as the projectile remainsin. said hoist.

3. A fuse setting system for time fuse projectiles comprising a remotefire control station or range keeper, hoist means for receiving andmoving single projectiles step by step towards a delivery stationadapted to be positioned adjacent to but separate from the breech of thegun, means forming a part of the hoist for receiving the base of eachprojectile and means for contacting the time fuse to control rotation ofthe same about the axis of the projectile, a combined Selysyn, hydraulicmotor and follow-up unit operatively conneced between said range keeperand 'said fuse control means, the connection between the fuse controlmeans and the combined Selsyn, hydraulic motor and follow-up unit beingsuch as to continuously maintain or move fuse projectile, fuse settingmeans for said projectile connected to and movable with said chain andmeans operatively connected to said last named means for efiectingadjustment of the fuse in either direction about the axis of theprojectile during hoisting movement.

8. A fuse setting system for timefuse projectiles comprising a remotefire control station or range keeper, means adapted to be positionedadjacent to but separate from the breech of the gun for receivingprojectiles, means forming a part of said last named means forcontacting the time fuse to control the rotation of the same in eitherdirection about the axis of the projectile, power means connected withsaid last named means, a follow up unit connected to said power meansfor controlling the actuation of the same, and means operativelyconnected to said range keeper and saidfollow up unit fon. continuouslymoving saidfollow up unit in accordance with the actuation of the rangekeeper.

9. Projectile handling mechanism, comprising means for continuouslygenerating and transmitthe position of said time fuse corresponding toconditions at said range keeper while the projectile is in the hoist.

4. In a hoist for conveying time fuse projectiles towards a loadingstation, a conveyor chain, means on the chain for receiving a time fusepro- :Iectile and fuse setting means for said projectile connected toand movable with said chain.

5. In a hoist for conveying time fuse pro jectiles towards a loadingstation, a conveyor chain, means on the chain for receiving'a time fuseprojectile, fuse setting means for said projectile connected toandmovable with said chain,

and means operatively connected to said last named means for adjustingthe fuse during hoisting movement.

6. In a hoist for conveying time fuse projectiles towards a loadingstation, a conveyor chain, means on the chain for receiving a time fuseprojectile, fuse setting means for said projectile connected to andmovable with said chain,

and means operatively connected to said an named means for adjusting'thefuse during hoisting movement and after attaining loading position.

. 7. In a hoist for conveying time fuse projectiles towards a loadingstation, a conveyor chain, means on the chain for receiving a time tingfiring data for a gun, means for supporting a projectile, and meanscontrolled by said generating and transmitting means for continuouslymaintaining a time fuse in a projectile in said.

supporting means set in accordance with said firing data throughout thetime said projectile is in said supporting means.

10. Projectile handling mechanism, comprising means for continuouslygenerating and transmitting firing data for a gun, means for'supportinga projectile, and means carriedby said supporting means and controlledby said-generating and transmitting means for continuously maintaining atime fuse in a projectile in said supporting means set in accordancewith said firing data throughout the time said projectile is in saidsupporting means. v

- HARRY F. VICKERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

